nimbus
Americannoun
-
Classical Mythology. a shining cloud sometimes surrounding a deity when on earth.
-
a cloud, aura, atmosphere, etc., surrounding a person or thing.
The candidate was encompassed with a nimbus of fame.
-
halo.
-
the type of dense clouds or cloud mass with ragged edges, that yields rain or snow; a rain cloud.
-
(initial capital letter) one of a series of polar-orbiting meteorological and environmental research satellites, the last of which Nimbus 7, launched 1978, was the first satellite designed to monitor atmospheric pollutants.
noun
-
-
a dark grey rain-bearing cloud
-
( in combination )
cumulonimbus clouds
-
-
-
an emanation of light surrounding a saint or deity
-
a representation of this emanation
-
-
a surrounding aura or atmosphere
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of nimbus
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin, “rainstorm, rain cloud, thundercloud, cloud”; akin to Latin nebula and Greek nephélē, néphos “cloud,” and Slavic ( Polish ) niebo “sky, heaven”
Explanation
A nimbus is a glowing light that encircles someone or something. A shadowy figure standing in front of your car's headlights might have a nimbus around it. One kind of nimbus is the holy glow that's said to surround the body or head of a saint — a halo, in other words. Many religious works of art feature Christian saints, each with a radiant nimbus. There is a more scientific kind of nimbus as well, a large, gray rain cloud. In Latin, nimbus simply means "cloud," possibly connected to nebula, "mist, vapor, or fog."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Scheib’s staging, just Bayreuth’s 11th “Parsifal” production, paid homage to Wieland Wagner’s breakthrough 1951 minimalist sets with a circle of light that represented both the knights’ round table and a flying nimbus above the wasteland.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
Humanizing Bunny is in keeping with the show's general nimbus of empathy for all of its personalities, even its villains.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2022
But a nimbus of noise accumulates around the simple-seeming chords.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 29, 2019
She had a capacity for excess, and a nimbus of exhausted hedonism trailed along with her.
From New York Times ● Oct. 25, 2019
Two cloud boys—one slightly larger than the other—crept into a large nimbus of a building.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Device, the Virgin and Child, their heads surrounded with nimbi; the former holds in her right hand three lilies, the latter a globe and cross.
From Notes and Queries, Number 75, April 5, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Various
The rest is covered with silver-gilt plates modelled in low relief to represent the drapery, nimbi, &c.
From The Shores of the Adriatic The Austrian Side, The Küstenlande, Istria, and Dalmatia by Jackson, F. Hamilton (Frederick Hamilton)
The gold thread which is freely made use of all over the cope, upon the draperies, nimbi, and surrounding foliage, is marvellously bright and sparkling, although nearly six hundred years old.
From Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving by Christie, Grace
The panels are round-headed, and the sky fills the space behind the figures with their gilded nimbi.
From The Shores of the Adriatic The Austrian Side, The Küstenlande, Istria, and Dalmatia by Jackson, F. Hamilton (Frederick Hamilton)
Between this and Cyrillus stand three considerable craters with nimbi.
From The Moon A Full Description and Map of its Principal Physical Features by Elger, Thomas Gwyn
Even when the music whips up complex, noisy nimbuses of competing motifs, the fast, finely judged changes within the dense activity are preparing you for variations on the weather.
From New York Times ● Aug. 22, 2022
White dogwood branches looked like clouds, the pale saucers of their blossoms arranged in white nimbuses.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 29, 2018
A mid-17th-century watercolor with gold and ink shows them with flaming nimbuses over their heads, rather than the round halos of Western art, and yet Mary is dressed in Western style.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 12, 2015
Both mother and child have round nimbuses, the former in plain circular bands of russet and orange, the latter consisting of bands of pale blue surmounted by a scarlet cross.
From Illuminated Manuscripts by Bradley, John William
Flashing around me, and from Lakla and O'Keefe, were nimbuses of flickering scarlet flames.
From The Moon Pool by Merritt, Abraham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
